Jinmay's Brothers
by BioluminescentGirl
Summary: We all know Jinmay left after episode one to find out where she came from, but we never did find out where exactly that place was. Until now. Or, until a few chapters into this story on my theory of where she came from. Rated K plus for mild swearing.
1. Chapter 1: The Journey Begins

"I don't wanna say goodbye."

"Then don't."

"See ya. Someday."

She was all smiles for Chiro, but on the inside she felt like crap.

It was partly because she really DIDN'T want to say goodbye. Shuggazoom and Chrio were all she knew, all she could remember.

Which was the reason she had to leave, of course. To get her memories back.

However, missing Chiro was only part of the reason her smile was a complete fake. It was also about the fact that Jinmay had screwed up big time.

Seriously, she met this great guy who stuck up for her, spent all his time with her, broke the rules for her...

And she had to go and screw it up by nearly killing him and leveling the city. Talk about embarrassing yourself in front of your crush! Yikes...

So, without further ado, she turned, took a couple of steps and blasted off.

"Boy, that was bad," Jinmay muttered to herself as she left the atmosphere. "Note to self: don't do that ever again. Ever."

Jinmay looked around, wondering where she should go. She hadn't really given it much thought, and now it seemed kind of silly, just leaving like this without a plan. Now here, in the black of space, every direction looked just as good as the next, so she picked on at random and started going that way.

But then she stopped. She looked around again. She felt something in the back of her mind urging her to go a different way. Off to the left.

She floated there weightlessly for a minute or so, deciding what to do. Then she shrugged. "I guess it can't hurt to go this way."

So she changed direction and took off, leaving the city far behind her.

•-(^_^)-•

Being all alone in space made a girl think.

There was nothing else to do, after all. It wasn't like driving down a road that had houses and things to see. It was completely black except for the distant stars, and after a while, Jinmay started to wonder if she was even moving. There was nothing around to show any sign of it.

So Jinmay thought. She thought about Chiro, where she was going, and what she might find out when she got there. But she mostly thought about how hungry she was.

She laughed, thinking about how ironic it was that she could only think about food when so many more important things needed to be thought about.

"Wait a minute," she thought out loud. "Why am I hungry, anyway? I'm a robot, aren't I? Shouldn't I run on fuel or something?"

She hadn't really ever thought about it before (or she had, and she forgot about it along with the rest of her past). She certainly hadn't found any problem when she was with Chiro, eating hover burgers, ice cream and soda. It seemed like such a normal, human girl thing to do then.

But now she knew she wasn't a normal human girl.

And now she wondered if she wasn't even a normal robot girl.

Jinmay closed her eyes, concentrating. Maybe, if she tried hard enough, she could remember something. Some kind of clue.

Several minutes passed before she opened her eyes, sighing.

Nothing.

And now she was even hungrier.

•-(O.O)-•

It had been an eternity since Jinmay had left Shuggazoom, and she hadn't seen any kind of life anywhere since she did.

And now a planet was in sight, and it looked like it was inhabited.

As she neared the planet, she saw other spacecraft coming in as well. All sorts of ships, big small, long and short, sailed next to her as they all approached the planet. While all the ships started landing, Jinmay could see this place was some sort of rest stop.

She landed and walked into a building that looked similar to a convenience store. The store was packed with many different creatures, aliens stopping to rest after long trips.

Jinmay quickly made her way to the food aisle, stocking up on as many carbs as she could carry at one time.

After grabbing a sufficient load of potato chips and cola, she walked up to the cashier, dumping her stash on the table.

The clerk looked at her suspiciously. "Have you got the cash to pay for all this?"

Jinmay pulled out a wad of Shuggazoomian money. "Will this be enough?"

The clerk eyed it suspiciously. "Sorry, we only take Clergian money here."

"Clergian monay?" _Well, now what?_

"Is that genuine Shuggazoomian money?"

Jinmay turned to face an odd new character. He was tall, with pale blue skin, four legs, two arms, and four eyes, two of which stood above his head like antennae.

"Yes, it is."

The little creature grinned goofily, bowing to Jinmay while using his eye antennae to watch her. "My name is Carvon Calibiris, collector of comics, couches, and currencies."

"My name's Jinmay."

"Would you be open to a trade, Miss Jinmay?"

"A trade?"

"Yes." He gestured at her no-good cash. "Your Shuggazoomian money for an equal amount of Clergian money. To build up my collection, you see."

"Sure!"

The clerk sighed impatiently as they made the transaction, tapping a wrinkled yellow finger on the counter. "hurry up, would ya? There are other folks waitin'."

Jinmay paid for her food and left the grouchy cashier behind. Carvon Calibris followed her.

"Thanks for helping me out back there."

"Thank you, miss! I've been hunting down Shuggazoomian money for a long time now."

"Really?"

"Certainly!" He held up some of the money. "This stuff is evasive. I thought there was no way to get at it except to visit the planet itself. In fact, I was just on my way over there, but you've saved me the trip."

"Well, I'm happy to help. Where will you go now, if you aren't going to Shuggazoom?"

"Actually, Shuggazoom was more of a detour than a destination. I'm heading to my brother's place. He's getting married. And now that I'm not making a special side trip, I might be on tuime for the first time in my life." He laughed, throwing back his head. "Won't that surprise him! I can't wait to see the look on his face when I arrive with bags in hand, ready to stay with him for a Marhettle month!"

Jinmay couldn't help but smile as well.

"And where are you headed, Miss Jinmay?"

"Well, I'm not really sure at the moment."

"What do you mean by that?"

So Jinmay explained her situation, Carvon nodding all the while.

"Well, if you don't have a specific direction you want to go, why don't you ride with me for a while?" Carvon pointed to a space dock not far from where they were standing. "I drive that old hunk of junk over there. There's enough room for two. And if sure beats traveling alone."

Jinmay looked him up and down, wondering if this was some kind of trap. _He is awfully friendly. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? _Jinmay sighed. _Well, it's that or fly all alone for who knows how long until I find some other place to stop. And then there might be some other kind of problem, with nobody around willing to help me out._

She smiled and looked up at her new, blue friend. "Sounds great."

•-(^_O)-•

A/N: My first fanfic for a long time! If you didn't catch it, Carvon Calibiris, collector of comics, couches, and currencies is an Andalite from K. A. Applegate's _Animorphs_ series, a favorite of mine as a kid!

I hope you enjoyed! If you did, please leave review. If you didn't, please leave review. If you want to flame at someone, please leave review with flames. Anything you want to say, I'm willing to hear!


	2. Chapter 2: Miniskirts and Eye Patches

"So why is it you collect couches?"

Carvon Calibiris was driving what he called his 'rusty old junker' while Jinmay sat back on one of his several couches. This one was bright red and looked like hard plastic, but was squishy and felt as soft as silk.

"It's just that plenty of people collect comics, and a currency collection is a little odd but I get why you like it." Jinmay shuffled around on her seat. "But a couch collection is pretty weird."

Carvon laughed. "I'm not completely sure myself. I've always liked couches, for some reason. Maybe because it's so much fun to relax on a comfy sofa and read comics. Besides, the cushions make a great storage place for my currency collection." Carvon chuckled to himself at this.

Wondering if he was serious, Jinmay stood up and lifted the seat cushion to the sofa. Sure enough, all sorts of various coins and bills we shoved under there.

"How many planets have you collected currencies from?" Jinmay asked as she replaced the cushion and sat back down.

"475"

"Wow."

Carvon shrugged. "It seems like a lot to a non-collector, but just think about all the planets we know of that have life on them; there have to be several thousand at least. And the majority of them have some sort of currency. Some even have several."

Jinmay hadn't known any of this before. She didn't, after all, have any kind of memory whatsoever previous to a few weeks ago, and most of that time she had been all alone. Still, she nodded as if she knew exactly what Carvon meant.

"What about you, Jinmay?" Carvon asked, glancing at her in his rear-view mirror. "Are you any kind of collector?"

"No."

"Not at all?" he pushed teasingly. "Not even a jar of hearts?"

"What?"

"You seem like you'd be some kind of little heartbreaker, you know? Are you leaving a trail of sad guys behind you?"

Jinmay unconsciously reached up and touched her chest, over where Chiro's gift was stored inside her. "No, I don't think so."

"Aw, come on! Don't be so shy! I can keep a secret."

"I mean it."

Carvon's smile was replaced by a look of frustration. "Huh. Well, you're no fun."

Jinmay smiled shyly. "Sorry."

Suddenly Carvon's goofy smile was back. "Well then, is there just one guy?"

"Well..."

"Aha! I knew it! What's his name?"

Jinmay sighed. _Oh well, might as well tell._ Besides, she kind of wanted to talk about Chiro. She couldn't explain it, but she wanted to tell someone about how she felt when they were together, and about the time they almost kissed.

Just as she was about to speak up though, the ship suddenly lurched to a halt, sending Jinmay flying forward off the couch.

•-(*~*)-•

Jinmay woke up with a groan and looked around. She was no longer on Carvon's ship. She was in some kind of cell.

Rubbing her sore head, she stood up and walked over to the door, thinking she would check and see if it was unlocked.

Before she could, the door flew open on its own, revealing a tiny little monkey who was now sporting a new eye patch.

"Hello, Jinmay," he said in a creepy accent, which was made all the creepier by the eye patch and the mini-skirt. "Long time no see."

"Sakko?!"

"Yes. Did you think the Skeleton King would just let you go? Now that you are even closer to the boy?" Sakko grinned evilly. "No, Jinmay. You are much too useful."

Jinmay didn't hold back. She lunged after Sakko, who leaped nimbly to the side and escaped out the door.

Jinmay tried to follow, but the door was slammed in her face. She pounded against it. "Sakko! Let me out of here!"

Jinmay sat back, thinking. _How do I get out of here? These walls are pretty solid. _Jinmay touched her hand to the side of her head again. It still hurt. _Maybe if I get big, like I did when Sakko made me fight Chiro. Then maybe my size alone would be enough to bust down the door._ _Yeah, maybe that will work._ Jinmay smiled to herself. _I'll do it. Wait… How exactly do I do that?_

Sakko had handled the transformation before. He had manually entered some kind of command that made her like that. So she didn't know how to do it herself.

_Maybe if I just focus really hard._ She closed her eyes, concentrating.

Several minutes passed.

Then half an hour.

She kept at it until she was too tired to do so any longer, and looked down at herself in disappointment. Nothing had changed.

She sat back feeling like she was going to cry. There was no hope. She hadn't felt this… empty since she had been convinced Chiro hated her because she was a robot.

Suddenly, she began to change.

•-(^_^)-•

A/N: I think this chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but it's filled with some major hints about my secret plotline! Probably none that you could pick up if you aren't me, but you know…

What do you guys think? You have to think SOMETHING, so leave a review! Please!


	3. Chapter 3: A Big Problem

"It's working!"  
Jinmay's head hit the ceiling, but she wasn't stopping there. She doubled, tripled and quadrupled in size until she filled up the entire small room.  
She tried kicking at the door, thinking maybe she could knock it down now. However, it didn't do any good at all. Now that she was so huge, she didn't have any room to build up momentum. The best she could do was push at the door.  
And that didn't seem to be doing anything.  
Jinmay grew desperate, punching at the ceiling, the walls, even the floor. It was no use. Without any momentum, she just couldn't muster up enough force.  
The worst part, though, was that she hadn't stopped growing.  
_I need to stop this, she thought. But how?!_  
Now she was really scared. If her enormous size didn't break down the walls, what would it break?  
That was a question Jinmay didn't want answered. She tried to not think about it.  
But that was getting harder as her head and limbs scraped up against the four walls of her cell. At this point she was too terrified of what was about to happen to think.  
_Okay, Jinmay, Calm down. You need to think. Being scared won't help. Just calm down._  
Slowly, her fear began to ebb away. She regained control of her emotions and managed to calm down enough to focus.  
As she did this, her insane growing also slowed down. In fact, it completely stopped, and not a moment too soon as she filled the last tiny amount of space.  
_Holy Shuggazoom! That was way too close! Now, how do I reverse this?_  
Severe, exhausting concentration again? You got it.  
Before she could start her session of concentration, though, she was interrupted by a muffled voice.  
"JINMAY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"  
_That's Carvon! Maybe he can help!_ Jinmay was definitely happy to hear her friend's voice.  
She was about to yell out to him so he could find her when he interrupted again. "JINMAY! HELP!"  
_They got him! I've got to help!_  
Without thinking, she ran at the door, busting it down. "Carvon! Where are you?!"  
"Jinmay!" The voice echoed down from a long hallway, and Jinmay ran after it.  
Five formless guards were struggling to hold down a resistant Carvon. He was kicking at them with his hind legs and punching out with his arms. He caught sight of her. "Jinmay!"  
She grabbed hold of the nearest formless and smashed him against the wall. It splattered into an inky black goo. She proceeded to destroy two more as Carvon took care of a couple as well, kicking them right in the chest.  
The two stood breathing heavily in the now formless-less room, ankle deep in black goop.  
Carvon looked over at her with surprise. "Jinmay, why didn't you tell me you were a robot?"  
"How did you know that?!"  
"Your skin. It's all metal."  
Jinmay looked down at her hands to see he was right. _Another kind of form?_  
"Well, surprise! For both of us, I guess."  
"You mean you didn't know?"  
"It's a long story."  
Earlier, when Jinmay had told him about her journey, she left out the parts about being a robot and going all psycho in Shuggazoom. It had seemed too embarrassing at the time. Now she figured she should probably tell him the whole truth. _At least, once I figure it out myself._  
The two started running back the way Jinmay had come, racing past the cell she had been imprisoned in. The door was completely demolished, only shatters of it remaining.  
Then it hit her.  
_How was I able to get out of there?_  
She had been too stuck to move, and then a few seconds later she was suddenly out. She must have shrunk instantly, somehow, and her skin had turned to this hard, metal stuff.

_But why? How?_  
She couldn't wrap her head around it, so she just shrugged it off for now and kept running after Carvon.

•-(^3^)-•

It took them awhile to locate Carvon's ship. That was mostly because of all the formless they either had to dodge or destroy.  
Once they did find the Rusty Old Junker, they wasted no time in getting away.  
Now Jinmay was sitting on a green sofa that wobbled like gelatin, studying her hands.

Why did they change like that? What happened back there?

Even as she watched, her hands faded back to their usual color. _Maybe it's just an illusion. Maybe they're metal all the time, but they just look like regular skin._

But she had a feeling that couldn't be right. She had felt different with the metal skin. Stronger, somehow. Something had changed, not only on her outside, but her inside too.

Carvon hit the auto-pilot and stretched out his arms. "I think we're safe now."

"I'm really sorry," Jinmay said immediately. "You know, if you want to split up now I understand. I'll leave."

"Split up? Why?"

"Well, back there, they were after me. They'll probably leave you alone if I leave now."

Carvon shook his head violently. "No! It's fine! I mean, I don't know why they were after you, but I have a feeling it's not because _you_ did anything bad to _them_. And I refuse to leave some innocent girl all alone in space to fend for herself against the likes of... Whatever those things were."

Jinmay smiled. "Well... Thank you."

Awkward silence ensued.

"So, what were those things back there anyway?" Carvon asked eventually, plopping down on a couch (which looked pretty funny with all his legs).

"They're called formless," Jinmay said, trying not to giggle as Carvon struggled to get most of his limbs tucked under him comfortably. "They work for Skeleton King."

"Who's that?"

"Maybe I should just start from the beginning."

So Jinmay told him everything. Every small detail she could remember since she found herself on Shuggazoom, watching a cute guy fall off of a huge robot.

•-(_)-•

A/N: This chapter was so much fun to write! That's part of the reason it's done so fast. I really hope it's as much fun to read as it was to write.

Also: because I keep forgetting to say this, I don't own SRMTHFG. If I did, the series would still be continuing and I wouldn't end it with such a huge cliffhanger! But I digress...

I do own Carvon Calibiris, collector of comics, couches and currencies. He's all mine. That's probably why he's so weird.

Make sure you review!


	4. Chapter 4: The Calibirises

A/N: This is an updated version of the chapter. Grunekitty was kind enough to point out a few errors. If you read before and suffered through my grmatical and spelling errors, I'm sorry :(

•-(*~*)-•

"We're here."

"Here?"

"Yep," Carvon said, putting his ship into park. "Welcome to Marhettle. This is my brother's place."

Jinmay looked out the window at an immense house. "Oh."

She had almost completely forgotten about their ultimate destination. Carvon wasn't just driving her randomly through space, he had somewhere to be. It remended her that she, too, had a destination, wherever it was, and that she had been dodging that little detail for some time now.

Carvon opened the door to the ship with his usual big, goofy grin. "I can't wait to see my brother's face when he sees me here so early! You know what he's going to say? He's going to say exactly this: 'You can't be the real Carvon, you're early!'"

"Are you sure it's ok that I'm here uninvited?" Jinmay asked. "I don't want to impose or anything."

"You aren't uninvited! I invited you!"

"Yes, but..."

"Don't you worry about it Jinmay. I know they'll love you." Carvon knocked on the door. "Oh, but I should warn you that they don't have mouths."

"What?"

"Andalites don't have mouths typically."

"Well, how do you even communicate then?"

"Oh, you'll see."

Jinmay was either about to push for a better answer or ask one of the other million quetions that had instantly occured to her when the door was flung open.

The alien standing there was the same pale blue color as Carvon, but he was much, much bigger, and he had no mouth.

_Carvon! Is that really you?_

_Who else?_

_Nah! You can't be the real Carvon, you're early!_

_They're speaking in my mind!_ Jinmay realized.

The two Andalites embraced each other.

_It's been way too long, Carvon._

_I agree. It's good to see you._

They let go of each other and Carvon's brother turned to Jinmay. _And who's this?_

_This is Jinmay. Jinmay, this is my brother Khadmere._

"It's nice to meet you."

Khadmere stuck out a blue hand and Jinmay shook it. _Nice to meet you too, Jinmay! Welcome to Marhettle!_

While his face was missing a mouth, Jinmay could hear a smile in Khadmere's voice, so she smiled back.

_What am I thinking, keeping you two out here? Come inside! Pyra's waiting in the living room._

Khadmere stepped aside to let them both in. He led them to a large room that had no furniture in it.

Another Andalite was waiting for them there. She was petite compared to the two males, and she was a pale violet color.

_Carvon!_ she said, crossing the room to give him a hug. _What a great surprise! We weren't expecting you to show up until halfway through the ceremony, never mind a whole month early!_

_Well, here I am._

_How did you manage to get here so fast, considering it is you?_

_Well, you can thank my friend Jinmay here for that._

The purple Andalite looked around Carvon at Jinmay. _Oh! I didn't even see you there, Sweetie. I'm sorry. My name is Pyra, I'm Khadmere's fiancé._

"I'm Jinmay. It's very nice to meet you."

_The pleasure is all mine! Especially since you brought Carvon here, and early, nonetheless! How on Marhettle did that happen?_

_Well, I was planning to take a quick detour to the planet Shuggazoom to take care of some business concerning my currency collection..._

Khadmere rolled all four of his eyes.

_...but I had stopped on Clergia for a breather, and there I ran into Jinmay. Luck would have she was a Shuggazoomian in need of a currency exchange. I wanted to thank her properly afterwards by giving her a ride, and we've been traveling together ever since._

Pyra's eyes crinkled, showing a few dimples. _Well, that sounds like just the perfect setup! And I'm so glad you made it here so soon. Really, Carvon, it's been years since you came home!_

Carvon looked sheepish. _Yeah, I know. I always mean to head back over here, but it never seems to happen._

Pyra rolled her eyes, and Khadmere looked like he wanted to laugh.

_So where is it you're headed then, Jinmay?_ Khadmere asked, changing the topic before Pyra could continue to harp on Carvon.

"Oh, I don't really know yet."

_You don't know?_

"Well, I lost all of my memories. I've been searching for some answers on who I am and where I came from."

_Oh! That is the saddest thing I've ever heard!_ Pyra said. She reached out and grabbed Jinmay, pulling her into a tight hug. _You poor thing. You're so brave, facing down such an adventure all on your own!_

Jinmay remained stiff throught the unexpected hug. "Oh, well, it's not that big of a deal. I mean, well, I..."

_It's okay, Sweetie,_ Pyra interrupted. _If there is anything we can do to help you, we will._ She let go of Jinmay.

"Well, thank you."

_Think nothing of it. Now, Jinmay, please tell me you plan to stay for my wedding?_

"I would love to! As long as I'm not imposing or anything."

_Imposing! Sweetie, I would be offended if you didn't stay! Don't think for one second you're imposing in any way! Now, let's go find you a place to stay, hm?_

Pyra took Jinmay's hand and began to lead/pull her down an adjoining hallway. The boys, who knew how Pyra could be, were trying hard not to laugh as Jinmay sent back a cunfused expression (or at least Carvon was. Khadmere, having no mouth, didn't have that problem).

_Well, that girl is nothing but good news for us, huh? She got you home early and now she'll distract Pyra so much she won't have time to get stressed over the wedding. And she was pretty far down that road already._

_Yeah, well she does like everything to be perfect, doesn't she?_

_That's the understatement of the year._ Khadmere said. _Thanks for bringing Jinmay here. She's quite the girl._

_You don't even know the half of it, Carvon said seriously. Which reminds me: I wanted to ask you something..._

•-(^-^)-•

A/N: This was really short. Sorry about that. It was going to be longer but I cut out a few parts to add onto the next chapter. So hopefully the next chapter will be long.

Also, more Andalites! I know what you're thinking: I might as well make this a crossover between K. A. Applegate's Animorphs series and SRMTHFG now. Trust me though, this is going to be Jinmay's story and nobody else's!

If you've read the Animorphs books, you can probably guess what's going on here. If you haven't, don't worry. Jinmay doesn't get any of this either. All will be explained.

Thank you to grungekitty and Ellamina for reviewing! You two are awesome sauce! To the rest of you who read my story and don't review, you can become awesome as well by simply typing what you think. You can even do it right on this page, using that convenient little box down there.


	5. Chapter 5: An Unexpected Discovery

Jinmay had been at the Calibiris house for almost a week now, but she still didn't know her way around the immense building. So she decided to go exploring.

She walked down one of the various wide hallways until she came to a door she hadn't been in before. She turned the handle and peeked inside.

_Jinmay! Please, come in. I was just about to come looking for you. I want you to see something._ Khadmere, Carvon's brother, was standing inside a darkly lit room. He waved Jinmay inside.

She walked in, looking around. The room was filled with shelves of wires and tubes. Monitors lined the top of one wall, and the buzzing of machinery was kept up constantly in the background.

"What is this place?"

Khadmere turned to face Jinmay. He placed his hand on her shoulders and quickly shoved her backwards.

Jinmay stumbled and fell into a small glass chamber that looked sort of like an elevator. Before she could get up, two doors slid shut and the whirring machines in the background suddenly grew deafeningly loud.

She jumped to her feet, pressing against the doors. "Khadmere! What's going on? What are you doing?"

_Just relax, Jinmay._

Jinmay ignored his advice, attempting to pry the doors open with her fingers.

From above the glass box, a cylindrical piece of machinery was lowered over Jinmay by a robotic arm attached to the ceiling. One the cylinder was firmly in place, it started to buzz loudly. Jinmay braced herself, curling into a little ball on the floor, her arms protecting her head, her eyes shut tight.

She heard the machine beep three times before the buzzing stopped, and the doors slid open again. She looked up.

Khadmere was busy working at a table stationed under the line of screens, typing furiously at a keyboard.

Jinmay half wanted to run from the room as fast as she could, before Khadmere could pull some other crazy trick. But her curiosity got the better of her, and she carefully approached Khadmere.

He flicked one eye stalk in her direction for a moment, and then turned it back to the line of screens. _Sorry about that. It works better if it's a surprise._

"What works better?"

In answer Khadmere pressed a button on the key board, causing the monitors to light up with images of…

"That's me," Jinmay said. "So you did all that just to get some pictures of me?"

_No. Watch this._ Khadmere hit a few more buttons and the images were replaced with pictures of Jinmay's underlying wiring.

"Wow, cool,"she said, standing on her toes to get a better look. "Is that what I look like on the inside?"

_Yes, it is,_ Khadmere seemed transfixed by the images as well. _This proves my theory about you, Jinmay._ He tapped on one of the nearest monitors.

"What?"

_Let me show you what I've discovered. _Khadmere reached over to a panel on the wall and flicked the lights on.

_Shortly after you came here, Carvon told me you were a robot._

Jinmay wasn't surprised. Carvon didn't seem to keep any secrets from his brother. She didn't mind.

_But he also told me you weren't like any robot he had ever encountered before. For example, your AI* is far more advanced than anything either of us has ever encountered before, being spot-on with the emotions and random actions of ordinary life._

"Maybe I'm just different?"

_Maybe, but there's also the fact that you eat normal food. Why should a robot do that?_

"I don't know. Maybe to make me seem completely human."

_But do you feel hunger?_

"Yes."

Khadmere nodded, apparently pleased. _You're right, all these things could be to make you seem absolutely human, but neither Carvon nor I bought it. So Carvon asked me to found out for certain exactly what you are. I also thought it could help you on your journey._

Khadmere turned back to his screens, typing again on his keyboard.

Jinmay heard a beep and a whirr as a printer came to life, slowly spitting out a blue document. "Why did he ask you, though?"

_I'm a biomechologist. I study things such as the interactions between organic material and technology, particularly the effects technology can have on cells, but I also do some work with cyborgs on the side._

_That would explain the well-stocked lab,_ Jinmay thought. "But I'm not a cyborg. I'm a robot," she pointed out.

_I'm not so sure. _Khadmere pulled the document from the printer. It was one of the scans of Jinmay's insides, this one a close-up of her head. _See this here? What does that look like to you? _He pointed to a place in the middle on Jinmay's head.

"It looked like a bunch of cable piled up."

_No, Jinmay. That's not any kind of cable. It's a brain. An organic, living brain._

A/N: Dun, dun, DUNNNNNN! The truth is revealed! I know this chapter is short, but I just had to end it right there. Sorry it took so long to update. I plan to update again before the weekend is over, so stay tuned!

*Also, just in case you didn't know, AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, and is not just a great topic in science fiction stories, but is also, in my opinion, one of the coolest fields of scientific/technological study around. I'll probably return to this idea of AI once or twice more throughout the story.

Don't forget to review! It helps a lot, especially when it's criticism or pointers or whatever you want to call it.


	6. Chapter 6: The Wedding

_That would explain the way you act. And why you need food. No organ like that could ever run on fuel. _

Jinmay didn't reply. What could she say?

_I think if I study your genetic blueprint I can pinpoint where you are likely to come from, or I can send out a notice to colleagues of mine that might be able to do so._

Jinmay still couldn't speak. She tried to say something, but the words were caught in her throat.

_Jinmay? Are you okay?_

"Yes! Yes, I'm fine, just… Wow."

_This must be a lot to take in._

"Yeah." Jinmay stared at the image of her brain.

_You aren't upset, are you?_

Jinmay looked up, puzzled. "Why would I be upset?"

_Well, maybe you prefer to think of yourself as a robot. _

"I'm not upset. Thank you for showing me this," she added, remembering her manners. "This really means a lot."

_It was my pleasure, Jinmay. It was fun._

"I don't know how to repay you. Thank you, so much."

_Well, if you really want to do something for me, come to my wedding._ Khadmere said, walking to the door. _It would mean a lot to me, and a lot more to Pyra. She's really taken a liking to you._

Jinmay smiled. It was true Pyra seemed to really like her. She doted on Jinmay almost constantly, making sure she was comfortable, and asking for opinions on wedding décor, food and everything else. "I'll be there."

_Good. Speaking of the wedding, I think Pyra's been looking for you. Something about flowers._

_Who else can you see?_

It was the day of the wedding, and as Pyra got ready, she had Jinmay watching for guests out the window.

Lots of Andalites milled about on the lawn outside the house, waiting for the ceremony to begin. They ranged in a series of cool-colors and multiple sizes, from the massive adult males to the smallest children, who ran around in excitement.

"Let's see… There's an older female talking to Carvon. She's kind of a pale indigo color, and she looks like she's angry with him." Even as Jinmay spoke, the Andalite in question stretched her neck as far as it would go, trying to look down at Carvon. This failed miserably; he was still a good foot taller than her. Carvon grinned down at her in such a way that Jinmay suspected he was trying to make himself look as goofy as possible.

_I think you see Aunt Knarc. She tends to disapprove of everyone, especially Carvon. She thinks his mouth is silly._

That reminded Jinmay of a question she'd had for a while. "Why is it he has a mouth, anyway?"

_He wanted it so he could travel with ease. Some aliens tend to be freaked out by voices in their heads. So Carvon used one of Khadmere's inventions. Didn't Khadmere tell you before that he was a biomechologist? Well, he designed a device that can change your genetic structure any way you want, just by thinking._

"Really? He made that all by himself? That's amazing!"

_Well, not all by himself. He actually redesigned it from an old model. The old model was limited to a one hour use and full-body transformations only. Now the changes can be used indefinitely and they can be for specific parts of the body._

"That's still pretty impressive."

_I know,_ Pyra mentally sighed. _It is pretty amazing. _He's _amazing. And what's more amazing is I'm going to marry him within an hour!_ Pyra came out of her room, kicking her legs up in a kind of happy dance.

Jinmay smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. "You look beautiful, Pyra."

_Thank you. _Pyra joined Jinmay at the window. _Oh, look over there! That's my cousin, Gordene. We used to play together when I was a little._

Pyra continued to point out her relatives as well as Khadmere's until Carvon came looking for the two girls.

_What are you doing in here? This is a female-only area! _Pyra teased him.

_You look lovely, Pyra,_ Carvon replied, ignoring the teasing.

_Thank you._

_I came to find you because the ceremony is about to begin._

Pyra looked excitedly at Jinmay. _Well, here goes nothing!_

Carvon and Pyra left the house, Jinmay trailing behind them. She found a place to stand at the back of the yard (there were no seats, since the Andalites preferred to stand).

Carvon led Pyra down the aisle to where Khadmere was already waiting. He looked as if someone had told him he had just won the world, only about a hundred times happier.

The Andalite in change of the ceremony waited for Pyra to arrive then began his speaking.

Jinmay only half listened. She studied the faces of Pyra and Khadmere. They both looked excited, happy, and completely content all at once. Her mind wandered back through space to Shuggazoom. She thought about Chiro, and about how she felt the way Khadmere and Pyra looked when she was with him. Maybe not to the same extent, but there was a definite hint of that same emotion. She had a feeling if she gave it time, maybe it would be exactly the same. If she gave it time, maybe someday…

_I do._ Pyra said, flinging her arms around Khadmere. They bent their heads close together and the audience applauded.

_Maybe someday._ Jinmay thought again.

A/N: So, yeah. A little sappy at the end, and very Chinmay… Hope you guys liked it. The next few chapters are going to be exciting so I had to have a cute little chapter where not much happened. Please leave a review!


	7. Chapter 7: Off Again, Just in Time

"Still nothing?"

Khadmere looked incredibly frustrated as he studied a new set of read-outs on his computer. _Nothing at all. I was afraid of this._

While Khadmere had been studying the DNA of Jinmay's brain he had been surprised to find that the DNA was completely irregular: hardly any of it was at all similar to human DNA. It looked as if it were custom-made from scratch. For instance, there was no genetic code at all for the rest of a human body. The DNA was made up of only codes for a brain alone. Even the DNA for her brain was completely different than that for a normal brain.

In other words, it was nothing like Khadmere had ever seen before, and it was driving him crazy.

So he had asked Jinmay to sit through more scans, thinking perhaps his machines had made an error. But there was a small problem with that.

_Something in your programming is blocking the scans from working. I can't get any more information on your genetics._

"I'm really sorry. I'd turn whatever is blocking the scans off if I knew how."

_It's not your fault. I counted on this. Whoever designed you wanted you to be protected in every way._

Jinmay let that soak in for a moment before asking, "Well, then why did the scans work before?"

_I'm not convinced they did. I looked at the machines, though, and I found nothing wrong with them. So let's assume they did work: A protection program would take quite a bit of energy to run, so it might not be up all the time, and they're only running now that there's an obvious threat: the scans._

"That makes sense."

_On the other hand, it could have been up before as well, and that's why all this data is so strange._

Jinmay sighed. "That would make sense too. Isn't there any hard evidence for either of those theories?"

_The only thing I know for sure is I have no idea._

"Well, thanks for trying, anyway," she said, disappointed.

_Don't give up on me just yet. Although this DNA sequence is like nothing I've ever seen before, I still looked through it. I can tell you what I've found._

Jinmay perked up a little. "What is it?"

_From what I can see your brain isn't set up so much like a brain rather than a supercomputer with one purpose and one purpose alone: to protect everything inside of you._

"So, what does that mean?"

_It only means one thing for sure: if this DNA code I have here is correct, you aren't even remotely human. Rather, your brain seems to be hand crafted starting with only a few amino acids._

Jinmay just gave Khadmere a look of complete and utter confusion.

_Meaning your brain is kind of like a designer brain made by some scientist, not one originally found in a human, _Khadmere clarified.

"Oh," Jinmay said, still slightly confused as she processed this. "So… If I wasn't originally human, am I not a cyborg?"

_Jinmay, if this information is correct, then we need completely different definitions of cyborg and robot before I can answer that question._

"So you're saying…"

_That I still have no real idea. Only theories._

"Okay. Thank you for trying."

Khadmere placed one of his hands on her shoulder. _Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find the answer yourself soon enough._

Jinmay smiled. _I hope you're right,_ she thought.

_Don't forget to stop by every once in awhile. If we have to wait years before we hear from you again, I swear…_

Pyra, Jinmay and Carvon were standing outside the house next to Carvon's rocket, saying goodbye to Carvon. He and Jinmay had decided not to travel together any more, since Carvon would be heading back the way they had come and Jinmay… Well, she didn't know where she would go next.

Carvon laughed. _Alright, alright .I'll try to make my way back here once in a while._

_You need to do more than try. You need to make it happen._

_Okay! I'll come back once in a while, even if I have to fight my way through a horde of space pirates to get here._

_That's more like it._

Carvon smiled goofily and turned to Jinmay. _Are you sure you don't want to come with me? You're more than welcome to._

Jinmay shook her head. "Khadmere said he might be able to find some clue about where I should go next. I want to give him a chance to do that."

_So that's what he's doing instead of coming out to say goodbye to his brother. I should go and get him to come out here, _Pyra said.

_There's no need. I already stopped in his lab and said goodbye. Besides, I should get to the nearest wormhole before rush hour starts._ He climbed into his ship. _See you._

Jinmay and Pyra waved until he was out of sight.

As the girls turned to go back inside, they were confronted by Khadmere, who was running at them as fast as he could. _Jinmay! I've found something! Something big! I might know where you came from!_

"Really?!"

_Yes!_ Khadmere looked at the empty yard. _Oh, did Carvon just leave?_

_Yes, he did. You just missed him._

_Did you tell him to come back here more often?_

"What did you find?" Jinmay interrupted, her excitement getting the better of her.

_Right! Sorry. _Khadmere pulled out a document from a file he was carrying. _A colleague of mine thought this might be where you're from. Part of a secretive robotic project._

Jinmay scanned the page. "A planet called Cabiri Tecara?"

_Yes. It's a few light-years away, but there's a stable wormhole near here that will take you there in a couple of days._

Jinmay grinned. "Thank you so much! I'll go there right away!"

_Right now?_

"Why wait? I might finally find out who I am!"

_Well, alright then. _Khadmere handed her the folder. _There are directions in here, as well as all the information I could find on both the planet and the project._

"Thank you."

_Jinmay?_ Pyra said. _Make sure you come back sometimes, too._

Jinmay was surprised, but then she smiled. "I will."

Pyra pulled Jinmay into a tight hug, held her there for a long minute, and then let go. _Goodbye, Jinmay._

"See you. Someday."

Jinmay turned around and took off.

Jinmay could feel the atmosphere thinning and the pull of gravity loosen its grip as she tore ecstatically away from Marhettle. Finally! She had a destination, a clue. By this point she would have jumped through hoops for even the tiniest _something_. But this was more than something. This was… Something else.

Her disappointment from before slipped out of sight as quickly as the planet. So what, she still didn't have any answers, only more questions? She had something better now; A clue. She would have plenty of time to prepare herself, then, for what awaited her.

Jinmay allowed herself to get lost in her excitement, letting lose now that she was all alone in space. She spun in circles weightlessly, laughing.

So she didn't notice that she wasn't alone until she narrowly avoided instant incineration by the laser.

She whipped around to face her attacker just in time to see another beam racing directly at her head.

She ducked, the beam missing her by millimeters. This helped her decide a good view of whoever was after her wasn't so important and she high-tailed-it away, more beams flying past her.

"NO! This is complete bushwa!"

Sakko slammed his adorable little hands down onto the keyboard in front of him, smashing several keys and he balled them into fists.

"How could you let her escape?!" he screamed at no one in particular.

"No, how could _you_ let her escape?" demanded a snarling voice from a nearby monitor.

Sakko twisted in his seat to face the Skeleton King. "It won't happen again, my lord." Sakko hung his head. "Please, just one more chance is all I ask."

"You already used your one chance, and your one-more chance. Even your yet-one-more chance. You told me you could capture the girl. After all, you know the girl best. You ignorant fool!" Skeleton King snarled in utter contempt. "You are good for nothing! I am sending someone else to _assist _you, you incompetent moron."

Sakko couldn't resist asking, "Who, my lord?"

In answer, the automatic door swished upward, and a huge shadow fell on Sakko.

"You may call me the Supreme Destructor."

A/N: Sorry for the long wait to update. Long chap, took a while to write and edit. Hope it was worthwhile. Some major things happening! Dropped some major plot clues in this. If you're clever, you might be able to figure it out. But then, if you're too clever, you could just as easily miss them!

Please review. It means a lot to me. Also, if you think you can figure out the ending, please PM me. I'm interested to know if anyone can pick up on where I'm going with this. I hope you guys can!


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